Cam Newton: 10 Things You Don’t Know About The NFL’s Superman

Cam Newton is an incredibly talented NFL Quarterback. After entering the year in 2011, Newton has shown an outstanding ability to extend plays with both his feet as well as his arm. With the 2015-2016 season winding down, the future of the Carolina Panthers is looking more optimistic than ever before and that’s largely due to the great play of Newton this past season. Newton exploded into the league winning rookie of the year (including throwing for over 400 yards in his first game!), but the passer has had ups and downs that have made people question his overall room for growth.

Thankfully the head office had no doubts, and Newton is quickly living up to his $100+ million contract that he signed this past offseason. Newton is the clear MVP choice from this past season not only had a great team (going 15-1 in the regular season) but also put together a great year on an individual basis. When the Panthers lost their #1 receiver Kelvin Benjamin before the preseason even began, nobody could have expected the numbers that Newton put together. Doubters of Newton going into this year were quickly silenced when Newton became the first QB in NFL history to throw for over 30 TDs and rush for over 15 TDs.

It is clear that there is no perfect way to game plan against Newton. You try and keep him in the pocket? He’ll shred you with targets like Greg Olson. You try and keep him there and he’s going to run down your throats. With no shortage of skills, also comes no shortage of information that you may not have known about the next great quarterback. These facts don’t always paint Newton in the best light, but you better believe he’ll still find a way to flash that trademark smile.

10.He Stole A Laptop

Via Deadspin

There are many things that Cam Newton is fantastic at. One of the things that he might be a little less talented at, is committing crime. When Newton was still an undergraduate student at the university of Florida (he graduated from Auburn), he was caught stealing a laptop from another student. Newton was charged with grand theft, burglary and obstructing justice. After admitting to stealing the laptop, Newton entered a pre-trial intervention program and all charges were dropped. To make matters even dumber for Newton, he painted the top of the laptop black and sprayed his name on it. I’m sure that was really convincing to everyone around.

9.He Crashed His Truck

Via BusinessInsider

It was in November of 2014 when Cam Newton suffered a significant injury. It didn’t come on the football field, but instead when his truck crashed and flipped on South Church Street, in Charlotte. The accident left Newton with two fractures in his lower back, but he only missed one NFL game. It is interesting to note that since Newton’s accident, there have been at least 8 different crashes at that intersection. Clearly an unsafe part of town, Newton is fortunate that he’s as strong and tough as he is, or he may have had a far worse fate from the significant accident.

8.He Was The Backup To Tim Tebow

Via Bigstock Images

The NFL was caught by storm when Tim Tebow came to the league and proceeded to pull off last minute victories, and other exciting heroics. Tebow was also a huge face in the media for his openness towards his religion, and while he didn’t last long in the NFL before retiring, you won’t find a fan out there that doesn’t remember “Tebow Time”. Tebow was an outstanding quarterback for the university of Florida, so much so, that it was Cam Newton that was his backup quarterback. While Cam still found his time to shine (most notably for Auburn) there was still a time where he was in Tebow’s shadow.

7.His Father Was Accused Of Soliciting Money On His Behalf

Via buzz.blog.ajc.com

One of the biggest knocks on Cam Newton’s life was when he was caught stealing the laptop. As a result, he was suspended from the University of Florida team and he ended up transferring to a much smaller school, Blinn College. Newton was still clearly an outstanding talent and excelled at Blinn, which led to several big name schools offering Newton the chance to play for their university for the 2010 season. Newton’s father allegedly went to several different schools and stated that it would take more than just a good school to secure his son’s talents (implying a cash bribe) which is highly illegal in the NCAA. The most egregious example came out during a meeting with Mississippi State in which his Father implied that they would have to pay between $120,000-$180,000 to try and secure the rights to Newton. While he ended up playing for Auburn, this was still another negative mark on a then incredibly young career.

6.HeBeat Out Andrew Luck For A Heisman

Via flickr.com

One of the most interesting things to point out about his Heisman win (in 2010), was that 2nd place was given to Andrew Luck. Newton was clearly superior that year, receiving 729 first place votes, in contrast to 78 for Luck. That clearly didn’t deter Andrew Luck who won the Heisman the following year and has been an outstanding NFL quarterback. Newton’s last year in University also included winning a national championship over the Oregon Ducks, with a final score of 22-19. All of these accolades led to Newton being the first overall pick for the Carolina Panthers in the NFL draft. Newton was the first modern NFL player to win a Heisman, win the national championship and be the 1st overall pick in the draft. With a potential MVP award coming his way after an outstanding 2015-2016 season, it is clear that the ceiling is as high as ever for Newton.

5.His Son’s Name Is Chosen

Via Fox46Charlotte

It’s important to realize that the heading is a complete sentence, because the name of Cam Newton’s son is Chosen Sebastian Newton. Newton has been with his girlfriend Kia Proctor, and this is the couple’s first child together. While I am sure the name is lovely to the couple, and has significant meaning, in this writer’s opinion it honestly might be one of the worst names I have heard. The main significant advantage is that if someone starts to tease you about it on the playground, you can say “oh yeah? Well, my dad can kick your dad’s ass!” and you’d probably be right, almost every time.

4.Cam Newton Is A Pescatarian

Via TheScore

One thing that may help make an NFL player the size that they are, is the fantastic resource that they have in terms of nutrition. It might be a lot easier to stay in shape and shredded if you’re able to consume nutrition from a variety of sources. One thing that may be alarming to find out, is that Cam Newton is a pescatarian. What this essentially means, is that Newton avoids eating anything that lives on the land or in the air. So we’re talking no chicken, no steaks, no hamburgers and all other types of foods that may seem like a staple for a professional athlete. It is interesting to note that Arian Foster, an outstanding running back for the Houston Texans, is a vegan.

3.Newton Will Have A Show On Nickelodeon

Via Bigstock Images

If you don’t get enough Cam Newton in your life from just watching him play football, you’ll be ecstatic to learn that he is going to host a new show on Nickelodeon. The show, tentatively called I Wanna Be will follow Newton as he helps children from all different walks of life achieve their hopes and dreams. This does not have to relate to football, but instead is a medium to allow both Newton and the kids to push their comfort zones and see the impact that it can have. It’s a cause that Newton is passionate about, and his efforts also extend to the Cam Newton Foundation which sponsors events for underprivileged youth.

2.He’s The Face Of A Perfume Campaign

Via Forbes

Now call me crazy, but when I think of a professional NFL player, the last thing I think is that they must smell amazing. There is no doubting the marketability of Cam though, and as a result, it shouldn’t be all that shocking that he became one of the faces of Drakker Essence. The fragrance is described as being “woody…with spearmint, lavender and sage…and a warm and vibrant base of dry woods, musk and tonka bean.” I don’t know what any of that really means, but I am sure Newton’s face on the bottle allows the fragrance to sell for double what it is worth.

1.He Fought With Josh Norman

Via NewsObserver

This one is far from a huge deal, but it may be interesting to point out that Newton had a scuffle in practice with Josh Norman back in August. Norman and Newton are easily the two biggest influences behind the fantastic season for the Panthers, and it’s fun to think that there was a time where they were at each other’s throats. The altercation allegedly happened after Newton threw an interception in practice, and given Norman’s outstanding play this year, that would be easy to believe. There is no doubting that they’ll be focused on the same goal in January however, as they try and bring the first Super Bowl to the city of Carolina.